Sadao Furunuma Reveals Untold Stories of Noritake Kinashi & Machida Zelvia’s Tsuyoshi Kuroda

Six-time National High School Soccer Championship winner and three-time Inter-High champion, Sadao Furunuma nurtured Japan national team players such as Yasuhito Honda and Koji Nakata and is revered as a mentor by Noritake Kinashi and Machida Zelvia’s coach Tsuyoshi Kuroda.

At the recent National High School Soccer Championship, Teikyo (Tokyo) attracted attention as it made its 35th appearance after a 15-year hiatus. The man who once led Teikyo to a record-tying six championship titles in the postwar era is the legendary former coach, Sadao Furunuma (85).

In addition to Osamu Maeda (59, former Yokohama F), Furunuma nurtured numerous talents, including Hiromitsu Isogai (55, former Gamba Osaka), Yasuhito Honda (55, former Kashima Antlers), Koji Nakata (45, former Kashima Antlers), and Tatsuya Tanaka (42, former Urawa Reds).

Among them, one of the figures who most widely popularized Teikyo’s name was Noritake Kinashi (62) of the comedy duo “Tunnels.”

[Part 1] Former Teikyo High School Soccer Coach Sadao Furunuma’s Golden Words: “There’s Always a Reason Why a Team Becomes No.1”

Kinashi and Ishibashi: “How long are you going to keep doing this?”

“(Kinashi) had good technical skills. He was excellent at the pull move in dribbling (a feint where the ball is pulled back to evade an opponent) and had solid technique. However, he lacked a bit of speed and defensive awareness (laughs). He was part of the generation that won our third national championship, alongside Atsushi Natori (63), who later played in the Japan Soccer League. Unfortunately, I had to leave him out of the main tournament squad.”

However, off the pitch, he truly shone.

“During the summer training camp’s final-day talent show, Kinashi stole the spotlight. He would do impersonations of me and such. After graduating, I heard that he had teamed up with Ishibashi (Takaaki), a baseball club alumnus, and was performing at a show pub in Akasaka. When I went to watch, they were doing a skit, but it was completely unfunny (laughs). I remember telling them, ‘How long are you going to keep doing this?’ And yet, here we are over 40 years later, truly impressive.”

When Tsuyoshi Kuroda (54) took over as Machida Zelvia’s head coach after leading Aomori Yamada High School to three national championships, many were skeptical, questioning whether a high school coach could succeed in professional soccer. However, in their J1 debut season last year, he led them to a title race, finishing in third place.

Just as the young Konuma once learned from Osamu Nagaike and Sho Nishido, Kuroda has also spoken about learning coaching principles from Konuma.

“When Kuroda was coaching Aomori Yamada, he asked me to observe their training for about a week. I only shared some basic ideas about the training we did at Teikyo, but I never dictated details. I’ve never imposed my views on younger coaches or players.”

 

Konuma’s emphasis on solid defense and his commitment to minimizing goals conceded align closely with Kuroda’s coaching philosophy.

“Isn’t it simply the shortest path to victory? There are no absolutes in soccer, but my belief has always been in strong defense and quick counterattacks. In particular, the fundamentals of defense, such as covering, are crucial. If you don’t concede goals, you won’t lose a match. Even in the J.League or the World Cup, have you ever seen an attack-oriented team that says, ‘Even if we concede two or three goals, we’ll just score more and win,’ actually continue winning?”

“I want to be a leader as long as I can.”

After stepping down as Teikyo’s head coach in 2003, Konuma contributed to Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa’s (Chiba) national championship victory in 2007 as a special coach. He continued supporting teams led by his former players, including Otsu (Kumamoto) and Teikyo Nagaoka (Niigata), and has served as an advisor for Yaita Chuo (Tochigi) since 2008.

While taking care of his wife, who suffers from dementia, he still drives nearly 150 km to Yaita on weekends to attend matches.

“Even at this age, I find joy in talking with 17- and 18-year-olds and working together toward a goal. As long as I can, I want to remain a coach. I wouldn’t mind passing away on the field. I just love soccer that much,” he says with a laugh.

Having left behind a legacy of players and coaches, the legendary Konuma continues to pursue victory as a lifelong mentor. (Honorifics omitted in text.)

Sadao Furunuma, former Teikyo High School soccer team coach, “Golden words of a great general: “The best team has a reason to be the best.

From the February 21-28, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”